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Monday, 28 February 2011

It's Bachelor Monday. I could go on with a rant about Mother Nature, and the next storm that is passing over PEI, and the fact that this latest weather system is preventing me from taking Mom over to my aunt's funeral tomorrow...but, I won't (EFF YOU Mother Nature!).

I know there are people out there who've probably read the spoilers (oh, and p.s, PLEASE keep the info you've found to yourself!), but I'm not one who can read those (even for the lame show that the Bachelor (especially this season)) is. However, I'll just put it out there that I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he does the exact same thing as last time. Though, would that not make the show lose a huge amount of 'credibility' if he didn't end up picking someone on his "2nd try" to find love? Hmmmm....

So all imaginings aside, tonight the backdrop is South Africa, with the 'should-you-forgo-your-individual-room' overnight dates, and the odds are now against Chantal, Emily and Ashley.

Chantal is up first. I still like her..and really think that they seem to have a connection. They're the only ones who appear "natural" in each others' presence. (Oh, and may I just say that I am SO effing jealous of the two of them and their safari jaunt and sighting the real life big kitties? I swear, before I die, I'm going to be that close to a real life big kitty). Did he just admit that he's the "most comfortable" around her? Hmm...is anyone else out there feeling a bit of deja-vu? Did he not give the other two girls similar affirmations? I can't help but be a little pessimistic. It's in my nature, compounded by my pissy mood tonight. I hope I'm wrong. Chantal always was my early favourite, and despite a few misgivings about her emotions, and the initial reaction Brad had to her pets, I think between who's left, she's the best match for him. If he picks anyone at all (there I go again).

Emily gets the second date- he openly admits he's intimidated by her 'past', but he gives their date his all, anyway. First he takes her for a ride on his elephant,...er...on a South African elephant. I don't believe he misses her daughter, nor do I think he's "ready for a 5 year old" (helllooo negative body language!). He's.so.dang.AWKWARD with her! Oookay ---- so, he just confessed that he's falling in love with her??!?!!? Maybe I'm just bad at paying attention to body language? Maybe he's just outright socially awkward in every respect, so he's unreadable. Or, maybe we're back to him giving out a similar affirmation, like his last date, like his previous stint on the show...??

Despite confessing his love (intentions?) to Emily, he does take Ashley on the 3rd and final date, toasting her and her family as they overlooked "God's window". A firelight dinner, and an awkward 'future' conversation later, it wasn't hard to see how the evening would end...

Soooo...Chantal Womack, and Emily as the next Bachelorette, hmmm? *shrug*

Another 2 hrs of my life that.I.will.never.ever.get.back. He's such a wiener.

Friday, 25 February 2011

Having just polished off a 'stellar' frozen dinner for my lunch and dreaming of eating something unhealthy but delicious for dessert, my appetite has been suppressed after finding the following article:

British shop sells breast milk ice cream By QMI Agency

It may not be to everyone's tastes, and that's a good thing, because there's not much to go around.A London, England, ice cream parlour has introduced a new dish they're calling the Baby Gaga: ice cream made from the milk of people, served with a shot of liquid nitrogen and, if you so please, a cocktail.

The breast milk comes from willing donors who are paid for their trouble, the U.K. Daily Mail reports. The first woman donated about 30 ounces (just over 800 ml) and was paid just over 45 pounds (about $70).

"I saw the advert offering to pay women to donate breast milk on a forum and it made me laugh," Victoria Hiley told the newspaper. "There were so many comments and people were having a debate on whether it could be genuine. So I thought I'd find out."

The ice cream is served in a martini glass for 14 pounds per serving, or about $22 for us Canucks.

Thursday, 24 February 2011

I might be slightly biased, but I think Chris does great work. He's come a long way at pursuing his passion for photography, and I think his work speaks for itself. The profession itself is a tough market. A very tough market. In an age where technology has made a small pocket-sized digital camera inexpensive, and capable, taking decent pictures can be a fairly easy task once you get a quick tutorial on how all the buttons and settings work (especially if you leave it on "auto" and let the camera 'do it for you', right? ;)). Everywhere you look there are ads, or facebook groups for new "photography" sites, and new "professional photographers". What? So you bought yourself a new DSLR camera? And you just took it out of the plastic? Well, of course that now makes you a professional! Go on out there and register yourself a domain and then, *poof*, you now can offer professional services for your 'craft'! After all, for every good camera, a good picture makes, right? {insert eye roll here}

I do not claim to know the ins and outs of proper methods of exposure, or ISO settings, or white balance, or aperture. I can, after a few helpful hints from Chris over the years, view a photo with a bit more critical eye. I can appreciate the rule of thirds. I know it's important to make your subject stand out in the photo and to ensure that you don't have your subject stand in front of distracting objects (ie, don't stand right in front of a tree...otherwise, you look like you have branches growing out of your noggin). I also know that if I was to inherit a hand-me-down DSLR camera from Chris one day, that I would in no way shape or form be willing to market myself as a pro. I'd love to study more, and maybe someday assist Chris - who knows, maybe someday a family business, perhaps? But I digress...

Without calling out any names, because I don't feel that's professional (pardon the pun), after all, this is a very public forum. However, I do have a story (and I apologize in advance for the lengthy, wordy post). An acquaintance of an acquaintance bought him/herself a decent camera. He/she took photos as a hobby, and over time learned a little bit about photography. Truth be told, this person learned a lot from a photography forum...the evidence of which apparent in the photos that would later be posted after specific 'how do you...' questions that he'd/she'd pose on the forum. It was a forum that Chris belonged to, and he replied to these 'how do you...' questions. Chris is very encouraging when it comes to people curious about photography, and loves nothing more than lending out a helping hand (making him the perfect candidate to teach some photography basics at the Photo Bootcamps he puts on).

Anyway, so this 'acquaintance' then decided he/she wanted to try his/her hand at 'profesional' photography...Lo and behold, behind Chris' back, this individual ended up stealing a work contract that Chris had worked himself the past 5-6 years. The sad part? This 'acquaintance' considers him/herself a "friend" of Chris'. To add insult to injury? This 'acquaintance' landed a spot in one of his photography bootcamps, even! Why would a "professional" photographer need a photography bootcamp - geared toward the amateur who wants to learn more about his/her camera? Shouldn't this person already know the basics? I mean, he or she has already labelled him/herself AS a photographer...even going so far as to say he/she'd been at the craft for a NUMBER OF YEARS on his/her professional photography website! It just makes me crazy.

This person gets on the defensive when offered constructive criticism by knowledgeable professionals and continues to spew out crap pictures that he/she's attempting to place out into the marketplace as "art". He/she undercuts the other professionals out there...making it even harder for the real professionals to maintain the niche market that they may be used to. The frustrating part? Even those paying for the services don't realize the difference, it seems, between a good photo, and a mediocre or crap photo. They see the price. They go for what's cheaper...or, they think that quantity is better than quality. Oh, so you give me 500 crap photos, with maybe 5 okay shots and this other gentleman over here offers me 30-40? (even though his all look really good)? Well, dang, of course I'll go with the one that gives me the most for my money. {Insert HUGE eye roll here}.

(*sigh* Obviously I have a bit of passion for this topic...and perhaps I'm too close to the immediate subject to be even professing to have a valid opinion for it...but...I HAD to express myself before I literally imploded).

Need a good photographer that offers decent, competitive, wages and high quality product? Please, send me a message. I can recommend someone.

Monday, 21 February 2011

So I did take the 2 hrs out of my evening schedule to tune into tonight's Bachelor. It's the hometown dates, so the remaining ladies get to show off their hometowns and try to convince Brad that their family is one most worthy of his affection. So far, all it's done is make me crave poutine.

After seeing Brad interact with the families, here's a few thoughts:

-Brad's facial expression when he realized that if he picked Chantal, then her 2 cats and dog would be along for the ride, left me thinking that I no longer want her to get the final rose. She can do so much better.
-Ashley's cute, but the way her entire family scooched down onto the floor, surrounding him was kind of creepy. He did seem to gel well with the mix though. Oh, and also a very large eye roll to Brad when he said, "Si", to the Acadian waitress at the restaurant before he came by her parents' house.
-Is it really a good idea for Shawntel to be having thoughts of giving up her entire legacy to run around with Brad, especially when she's still one of 4 prospects? The look on her father's face as he realized what she was saying says it all. I don't think he has anything to worry about. She'll be back to take care of the family business. Brad's way, way too uncomfortable with dead people (typed before the end of the show; I won't say, "I told you so" though :)).
-And the date we've all been waiting for...Emily and the fated meeting of the child. First off, that kid is too old to be sucking on her thumb, and the meeting between her and Brad was aaawkkkwaaard! It even made me uncomfortable, let alone how it made him feel. And the whole quiet time between him and Emily after the kid went to bed was even more awkward. Make that redonkulous. He didn't want to kiss her because he just met her daughter? Get the man a direct line to his therapist, and pronto.

After a full moon-Friday at work, I opted to have a quiet night in on Friday night, allowing me to finish reading my book club read, seeing as our next meeting was the following Sunday evening. I'm pretty sure both Chris & I were down for the count before 11pm. Titillating, I know.

Saturday morning was pretty lazy (the best kind), complete with a late breakfast, and a few extra-large coffees while enjoying a movie. We headed out to run a few errands and then it was onward to the hoppin' town of Summerside. Melissa & Darren invited us down for the evening. Darren was curling at the Silver Fox so we started there (that is after a slow, slippery drive (the car we saw on it's two right-sided wheels attesting to that), and multiple circles around town just to find the darn thing!). We stayed there for a few drinks, then we dined on pizza at Michael's Pizzaria, then went back to M&D's for some trivia (Buzz trivia for the PS3 -- SO fun!). Believe it or not, it was just about 2:30am before we figured it was time to pack it in.

Sunday, after fueling up with a huge breakfast at the Heritage, we bid adieu to our S'side friends, and then headed back home just in time to clear the pathway and the snow off my car so that the plow driver could clear the latest snowfall from our surroundings (man we've sure not been hurting for snow this winter in these here parts!). I grabbed a quick shower, and then I was back out the door to meet my book club friends at Dawn's. She hosted a lovely potluck, and we dined on a multitude of delicious eats (including a few curry dishes and ohhh, about 5 different desserts, among which the most sinful, most delicious, most to-die-for brownies I've ever slurped back), as we got back in touch with our teenage selves, drooling over the young Patrick Swayze & Rob Lowe in the Outsiders. It was a great evening!

Today the rest of the Island celebrated "Islander Day", and had an extra day to their weekend. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't among those celebrating, so it was back to work again after a whirlwind weekend. The floors didn't get scrubbed, the bathroom is a sty, and I'm just barely finished up the week's laundry now as I type. But you know what? The dirty floors, the nasty bathroom and a new week's worth of laundry will be there next weekend. I had a terrific weekend filled with good times, good food, and great friendship. You can't get much better than that :). Happy Monday!

Friday, 18 February 2011

I believe the full moon is at its 'fullest' tonight. Therefore the nutbars are at their nuttiest level. It's been a slow ﻿transition all week. When Mummy & I did our girl night on Wednesday I was nearly sided swiped twice. The scenarios I've run into at work have been unusual, unheard of and time consuming...the customers? Crazier than what is the norm. I've said it before, it's just not safe to be out and about on the days leading up to and including the full moon. If I was able to plan my vacation days around the full moon, I would.

Blogger makes it possible to see how many page views your blog has in the run of a day, week, year, etc. You're also able to view the select countries your readership has reached, and even see what types of search results brought up the blog via Google. For the most part, people search for 'my happy place', or 'amber happy place blog'. Every now and then, someone googles something that's completely separate from me, but I may have submitted a post about it (ie, chia seeds).

Possibly the funniest search result that is showing for my latest stats, however, is the recent: "what happens if you shit in the shower". Really? Did you REALLY need to google that? Man, I hope it was for a friend. I'm doubtful that the post you would have discovered would give you the answers you were looking for. I've heard of people brushing their teeth in the shower to speed along the morning routine (something I'd never do, by the way), but, I've never come across any stories where someone felt the need to release their morning poo inbetween a shampoo & conditioning. I live to give, though, so my best advice, if you're still searching for an answer, would be to try to go before you hit the shower. It makes for a more productive shower experience. Ya know, you'd feel cleaner, longer, in my opinion. And, I'm sure you don't want that funk hanging out in your drain pipe, and possibly running the risk of it backing up, do you? That's just gross.

Yeah, so reading public, if'n thee gets the urge to drop a deuce whilst sudsing up your private bits, get thee to the toilet.

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.
-- Marion C. Garretty

Today, my big sister rolls over another year on the calendar, and with it, moves into another decade. I'll not mention what decade, because most ladies prefer to keep that to themselves. Besides, I'm creeping up quickly to my OWN new decade, and well, what's age really, other than a number? ;)

I got into your stuff when you still lived at home. I probably annoyed you to no end when you had boys over. There were probably nights when you wanted more to go out with your friends than to stay home and babysit me. You can make me laugh. You've made me cry. You're crazy as the crows, but I love you anyway. Thanks for always putting up with me. Happy Birthday, Cathy! Wishing you an overabundance of love and happiness - more than your heart can hold, or stand...xoxo.

Tuesday, 15 February 2011

Hello my lovelies, I'm sure you were shocked to find that there wasn't a Bachelor update waiting for you this morning. My apologies. I didn't watch last night. I was too busy snuggling with my hunny. Sometimes real life has to take precedence over reality tv. I had a lovely Valentines Day, complete with a surprise delivery of roses to my work - hand delivered by Chris!! He also took us out to supper, and we then came home to snuggle and watch a movie. So yeah, I didn't watch Brad. And, I didn't miss him.

I really do this for you all, so fear not, thanks to CityTV.com, I was able to catch up online tonight:

The locale is the beautiful island of Anguilla with 3 one-on-one dates & one group date.

Emily gets her own private island, and Brad breaks the rules and tells the lady she's getting a rose at the next rose ceremony. I think he really likes her, but I don't think he'll end up choosing her. Guaranteed, if he doesn't, she'll be the next Bachelorette.

Shawntel skips through the farmers market and tells Brad she's falling in love. They share a tender kiss as the rain falls, and he alludes to the possibility of being in love himself...Whooo boy! Things are getting hard core! Brad's therapist would be so proud!

Britt is the lucky recipient of date #3. Holy eff that girl needs a cheeseburger - or 5. I don't blame her for being scared of the cliff jumping. She doesn't weigh enough to give herself enough clearance to jump far away from the rocks. She made it, and they then go on to a little supper chatter...Ah. so she's afraid of rejection and isn't good at showing emotion? Yeah. This is a great spot for you, Britt. A great spot. Is it any wonder he sent her packing her bags? Least he spared her feelings and saved her nerves by having her say good-bye at the end of the date. She should go console herself over a Happy Meal...and chase that with a Quarter Pounder.

Onward to the group date and a steamy photo shoot with Chantal, Michelle & Ashley. Michelle & Ashley embrace their inner beauty and lose their bikini tops, and Michelle embraces her inner skank and ravages Brad in the sand. Emotions ran high, and Chantal got messssy --I wonder if Brad minds the excessive emotions?

HO-LEEEE SH!T BALLS! Chantal's safe for another week...he's sending the crack head home! He came to that decision on his own tonight, with 100% certainty, really? I bet that's what the show wants you to think. I bet his therapist has been watching and seeing all the extra stuff Brad hasn't seen and he told him to give her the boot. Good job, Brad. I think you've gained one more small ounce of respect out of me, regardless of how you came up with your decision, though I will still miss the drama.

Did you watch?

*Poetic excellence courtesy of Bradley Womack. Alternate post title: "I don't even see them friending each other on Facebook "(Michelle); or, "Life would be a lot better without Michelle around" (Chantal). It was such a hard decision :)

Monday, 14 February 2011

Yeah, it's a cheesy holiday that was created to spur on the market for greeting cards, flowers, and chocolates, but, I'm a helpless romantic, and a sucker for a little bit of extra lovin' anyway, so I am decked out in a red sweater and I left a homemade Valentine on the table to greet Christopher this morning.. (Happy Valentine's Day, hunny...love you...xoxo).

I hope the day brings forward extra hugs, kisses and lovings from all the special people in your lives, (including your fur babies, too).

Sunday, 13 February 2011

So today being Sunday and all, I've not yet done too much heavy lifting or overexertion. I did put a load of laundry in, and I have mentally checked, and re-checked the long list of 'to do' things that I have on today's agenda, but, that's as far as I've gotten, thus far. Whilst enjoying my 2nd cup of java, and flicking through the available TV lineup, I stopped on, "A Charlie Brown Valentine". Who doesn't love Charlie Brown, after all?

Now readers, a question: am I the only one out there who was confused, at one time, by Peppermint Patty's gender? See, on this particular episode, Charlie Brown intends to call the Little Red Head Girl, and mistakenly dials Marcie. Marcie makes a reference to Peppermint Patty (who was there), saying that "she" was there to speak with CB. I don't recall ever having this clarification previously, though I'm sure it was there and I never took pass of it. I do recall Marcie referring to PP as "sir" though. I mean really, give the picture a good, hard look. Dark green, navy blue clothes...big feet. Hair that could be longish, but not drawn back by a ponytail, nary a sweep of a curl? And the name? Patty, sure, possibly short for Patricia, but also could be short for Patrick. I mean, he could be Irish, no? That green shirt, right? Irish green? Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing you, Shultz, I just thought you left it open to the viewers'/readers' discretion ;). So, for years, growing up, I thought PP was a boy. Just sayin'. Today, I was

{sweet baby Jesus, the MINI POPSstill produce albums!??!!??!!! (watching YTV to view my childhood favourite, Charlie Brown), And, now that I know that, I'm left to question how they're ONLY at # 7???}

enlightened. I mean no offense to anyone who has an affection for Peppermint Patty. Personally, if I was the one penning the character, I would have at least spelled it Patti with an "i" ;). Ya know, just sayin' ;)

I'm sure there are many graphic designers out there with heavy pockets having dreamed up the perfect, simple, unique designs for a variety of crafts or lines. Sometimes, however, these representations go a-foul... Now, perhaps they're created purposely and the right people signing on the bottom line to have them go forward aren't looking as closely as they should. Or, perhaps they don't have the mind of a 12-year-old boy, like some of us out there, and don't see the alternative 'meaning' that they might represent. Regardless, the results can be remarkably funny. To see what I mean, view this Top 10:

Thursday, 10 February 2011

Wednesday, 9 February 2011

It's still winter. More snow. That fell and blew over ice because the unseasonably warm Tuesday night turned into a deepfreeze into the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Scraping the car windows with a bad wrist SUCKS, by the way! The sun is shining brightly now - it's actually a beautiful day. And, schools were closed.

There are certain days I do wish I fulfilled my childhood 'dream' of becoming a teacher.

Monday, 7 February 2011

So we have the backdrop of the beautiful Costa Rica for tonight's episode. Apparently, it rains a lot in Costa Rica.

Chantal and Alli were chosen for the one-on-one dates. As long as Michelle wasn't, that makes me a happy watcher. I still like Chantal. Alli is a little ''meh" to me. And her bug freak outs were slightly humorous (though, in retrospect, I'm doubtful that I would have behaved any differently, but hey, we're not talkin' about me, now are we?). I wasn't surprised or upset when he sent her a-packing.

Who was really surprised when he didn't give out a rose on the group date? I mean, think about it - he didn't have a chance to speak to his therapist. We all know he can't make a decision without consulting him, so of course he ended the night without a decision. I still don't know how he did make the decisions he did tonight. Unless he did consult with his doctor dude, off camera, since there are people out there making fun of him on a public blog? ;)

Michelle is still a B!TCH. Though her presence there does add the level of drama I think I need to actually keep tuning in every week. It was nice to see her sweat a bit, tonight, even though she ultimately ended up with the final rose of the evening.

There's nothing like a long weekend to break up the mundane that is the dark, cold and snowy of winter. We got dumped on again yesterday with more snow. I think they were calling for 20cms - not sure what the final verdict was. Fortunately, Chris is awesome and he shoveled, and even moved my car for the plow - so I didn't even have to get out of my jammies! I'm off today on account of having to work next Saturday, so it allowed for a long weekend. I am slightly embarrassed to say that I've only made it from the bed to the couch and it's 2pm. I'm currently catching up on missed tv from last week, and I did a huge clean up in my personal email box so the morning wasn't a complete write-off ;).

In addition to having today off, I also was able to take Friday past off, and Chris and I headed to Nova Scotia! Matt had a show booked at the Marigold Theatre in Truro (actually having to add a 2nd show on Thursday night due to overwhelming popularity! Yay Matt!), so there was no way he was going to be playing in such close proximity without us landing a seat for it! With huge thanks to Barbara B. for orchestrating the ticket purchase, Chris and I had fabulous seats in the front row. The show was absolutely fantastic! He played several new songs and a few old favourites (even an encore number that he rarely performs anymore, but let's just say we were a convincing audience!). Ever the quintessential performer, he combined humor, grace, humbleness, and down-right foot-stomping excellence into a jam packed 2 hrs! To our delight, he also took us up on the offer to meet up with the group afterward for a bite to eat. You can't get any better than that! One of these days, he's going to be unreachable - so we have to cherish the opportunities to get close to him that we can. I know I sound like a broken record, but, if there are any readers out there that I've not yet reached and who've not yet heard this man -- for the love of the sweet Baby Jesus, do yourself a favour, and CHECK HIM OUT. I guarantee you will be thrilled. I guarantee it. Ok, off my soapbox now (for now).

We had hoped to travel up to Halifax to take in some of the sights but on account of Mother Nature, our trip was cut short due to the snow that was being forecasted to hit PEI on Sunday morning. We visited with his Nanny and headed back home Saturday. Thanks to Netflix, we filled our remaining weekend hours in sheer relaxation mode, watching movie after movie, including two Stephen King stories: 1408 & Secret Window - both really good, in true SK fashion, that is.

So here I am, ya'll are updated on my wheres and whens - I'm still in the same spot on the couch as I've been since we returned on Saturday, and I have a house full of needed tidying...including Mt. Laundry. I'll get to it...eventually. ;). Hope you all had a super fab weekend!! Happy Monday!

Wednesday, 2 February 2011

We're getting more snow again. Yay. The huge 'snowzilla' storm that swept through the States is now overtop of the Maritimes, and it's been snowing steadily for the past few hours. It's actually quite pretty as I sit and watch it falling outside the window. There are two large pine (?) trees and the branches are covered in snow. It's like a little Winter Wonderland. The wind hasn't picked up yet though... I suspect when it does, my travel back home from work (typing this on my lunch break) will be b*stardly. For all, we're getting off fairly easily as there are many other areas that were pummelled with double or more snow than we're going to get. And really, Chris is awesome to keep the pathway shovelled (he actually likes to shovel, he says; maybe not 30 cms at once, but...), and I love, love, love me some cuddle time under my cozy throw with the fire going in the fireplace...so I'm not that unhappy that we're in the midst of another system.

But, did you hear? The little critter didn't see his shadow (how the heck would he see it with all that snow over the ground? haha)....so...apparently, it shall be an early spring.

About Me

I'm a laugher, a crier, a scrapper, a writer, a reader, and a lover of all things carb and chocolate. I'm a loving mother to two adorable fur-babies, and spend the majority of my time trying to keep smiles on the faces of those I love.